Am I Useful To God?
Most women are aware that having children will place certain limitations on them – at least for a period. Some of them are obvious: sleep, going out, career progression. Others can take us by surprise.
One such limitation I had not anticipated was the impact on church life. Simply sitting through the entirety of a sermon, with all the demands of children, is a rare delight.
But even having quiet time at home to read the Bible is challenging. And many of the ways in which I might like to serve God are impossible, at least during this season of child rearing.
Whether we have children or not, there will be times in life where we are prevented from doing as much for God as we would like to.
When we have little time for “spiritual” activities it can be easy to question whether we are still “useful” to God.
The story of Esther declares a resounding YES to that question.
The setting is 50 years after a decree that the Jews could return to Judah and rebuild their holy temple. However, for reasons we aren’t told, Esther and Mordecai are still in Susa, the capital of Persia (now Iran). Esther and Mordecai are far away from God’s temple and unable to be involved in the temple worship with other Jews.
Once taken into the palace, Esther is advised to hide her Jewish identity from the palace officials, and later her own husband, the king. This would have prevented her from engaging in many of the outward expressions of Jewish spirituality.
The only time we hear of Esther engaging in any spiritual activity at all is when she and her attendants hold a fast, before risking her life and entering the king’s presence without invite (Esther 4:16-17).
Although Esther was limited in her ability to “serve” God, she was not forgotten by him. And she was certainly not useless to him. Whilst she may have felt like she was not growing in her spiritual life, God was preparing her for service. He had a special plan for her – she would go on to become the means by which he would save the entire Jewish nation.
Let us not be discouraged when we are prevented from serving God in the ways we might like to. God can, and will, use us right where we are, if we want him to.
Oreo Cheesecake
This tasty pudding looks impressive but is incredibly easy to make. It is great to serve when having guests for dinner – provided they aren’t on a diet!
No Bake Oreo Cheesecake
Ingredients
Base
- 308 g crushed oreo cookies 2 packs
- 85 g melted butter
Filling
- 400 g soft cream cheese
- 50 g golden caster sugar
- 300 ml double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 154 g Oreo biscuits 1 pack
Instructions
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Grease and base line an 8" loose bottom tin with baking paper
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Mix together butter and crushed biscuits. Tip into the tin and flatten on the base and about 1 1/2 inches up the side using the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.
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Whisk together the cream cheese and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
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Add double cream, vanilla essence and a pinch of salt, and whisk until the mixture stands in soft peaks.
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Remove 4 biscuits from the unused pack and carefully cut in half so the biscuits stay in tact, you should have 8 halves. Leave these aside for decorating. Chop the remaining cookies into quarters and fold through the mixture.
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Pour the filling into the base. Use a spoon to level the top and decorate with the left over cookie halves.
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Leave in the fridge until ready to serve. carefully remove from the tin and place on a serving plate.
4 Replies to “Am I Useful To God?”
Thanks Rebecca. Needed to hear this today! 😊
Good point about Esther I certainly have times when I wonder how useful I am even without the business of raising children. Life can be quite humdrum a lot of the time. Reflecting on my own life, I am sometimes reminded that we can have a big influence on the lives of the people we meet. That being a freind can make all the difference in the world to that person. That prayer changes things as well. Guess we all want to ‘see’ a whole lot more though, but must carry on living by faith! Abraham only had one son ☺️.
erm… Well actually he did indeed have 2! That’s another story